The nerds have truly triumphed: Tech executives are basically rock-stars (or even supervillains), comic book characters dominate at the box office, and even President Obama is boasting about his nerd cred.

Here’s how he responded when Popular Science asked whether he considers himself ‘a nerd’: “Well, my administration did write a pretty detailed response to a petition, explaining why we wouldn’t build a real-life Death Star, so I’d like to think I have at least a little nerd credibility built up.

Of course, Obama tactfully left out that moment when he referred to “Jedi mind melds” – which was either an embarrassing slip where he mixed up “Star Trek” and “Star Wars” lore or a subtle sign that he was a dedicated fan of “Star Wars”.

An acknowledgement that nerdy is now cool – and a Vulcan salute reference – made it into his PopSci interview too:

“What’s remarkable is the way “nerd” is such a badge of honor now. Growing up, I’m sure I wasn’t the only kid who read “Spiderman” comics and learned how to do the Vulcan salute, but it wasn’t like it is today. I get the sense that today’s young people are proud to be smart and curious, to design new things, and tackle big problems in unexpected ways. I think America’s a nerdier country than it was when I was a kid – and that’s a good thing!

The president had already come out in favor of strong neutrality rules, urging the FCC to reclassify broadband as a Title II telecommunications service. If the FCC reclassified broadband, it would be able to treat Internet providers as common carriers and put robust protections against blocking, discrimination, and fees for access or prioritized access in place.